My Only Sunshine
by Aoi Kobayashi
Summary: What would happen if Amatis was pregnant before Stephen left her? A year after the battle in 2007, nineteen year-old Lia Herondale goes through her mother's closet and finds more than what she expects. Five chapters, one story, Lia discovers more of her parents, family and herself. (I suck at summaries, I know)
1. The Key

**This idea suddenly came to me out of no where. Hopefully, it will turn out better than I planned. I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I DON'T own anything except for the idea of the whole FF.**

* * *

_**~ The Key ~**_

**Idris, December 2008**

It was sometime in the afternoon when Lia started to clean out her mother's closet. It hasn't been opened since last year. She never wanted to open it, she could never bring herself to do it. But now, somehow, she _needed _to open it. The closet always gave off this vibe that something was in there that Lia had to see. She felt that ever since she was little, but her mother always try to make her avoid it and Lia couldn't help but wonder why.

But today, she was going to find out.

She opened it and dust immediately surrounded her. She looked away coughing, waving her hand around to make the air clear again. Looking back at it, she saw black Shadowhunter gear, a beautiful sliver dress hanging inside, and a few other articles of clothing. Her mother would keep most of those things in her trunk but ever since most of it was last worn by a girl named Clary, she put it all in here. Looking down, she saw that there were a few cardboard boxes stacked and filled with old books and old home decor that neither of them bothered putting around the house.

Lia started taking out the dusty boxes one by one, looking through each of them. She would smile at some of them, frown at some of them or just put them aside taking no interest in them. When she finished, she ran one hand through her dirty blond hair and rubbed her gentle sky blue eyes with the other. Mother told her that she looked like both her and her father. After seeing a few pictures she saw around the house, Lia had the same shade of blue eye color as him, the same almond shape eyes as her mom, and had both of their hair colors mixed together. And personality wise, mother said she was like her uncle, Lucian.

Just as she was about to give up, Lia looked inside the closet again and stared. Right between the corner of the floor board and the wall, there was a little uneven gap and bump. Her eyes widened and went over to it. Seeing it up close, Lia saw that it looked like part of the floor board was _removed _then put back. Quickly, she got on her knees and pulled on the wood until it came off. Another cloud of dust blew in her face and Lia almost puked. Something seemed to be under all the dust and dead bugs, but she felt the same vibe from it after all these years. This was it.

Cringing from the disgusting sight, Lia picked up. She took a quick look at it, a small chest; a treasure box of some sort, and brought it over to the bed. She dashed out of the room to the bathroom to get something to clean it off. When she came back, she started wiping off all the dust. As she did, it turned out it was made of Mahogany wood, finely crafted, probably made by hand. When she wiped off the top, three letters were engraved on into it: **_E. L.__ H._** Her initials. Lia became more excited to open it, but only when she set the wiping cloth down, she remembered the small gold lock on the latch.

_A lock._ She thought. _Great. Now where's the key? _

Lia looked down on her lap and cursed under her breath. Now she has to go on a scavenging hunt around the house- probably around Idris just to find a stupid key. Only when she saw the gold chain dangling from her neck she realized that she didn't have to go on a scavenging hunt after all. She gasped and grabbed the necklace.

_"Here Eliana. Happy birthday sweet heart," Amatis said on the morning Lia turned ten._

_The young one's eyes sparked but she looked confused the brown haired woman hooked a thin golden key with bird wings on it around her neck. "What is this mother?"_

_She smiled at her daughter. "Something very important, my love. You will need it when ever the time comes. Until then, promise me you won't lose it, that you will always keep it around her neck?"_

_The little girl smiled and nodded. "Alright! I promise!"_

Lia let out a choked laugh. What luck! As if her life depended on it, she quickly unhooked the chain and unlocked the chest. She put the key to the side, took a deep breath and gently opened it.

* * *

**That's it! :) It's short but that's the point! So, what will Lia find in the chest left by her mother? Well, you're just gonna have to find out! **

**Leave your reviews and come back tomorrow for the next Chapter! Thanks for reading!**

**- Aoi**


	2. The Ring , The Photographs

**Here it is! Drabble number two! :)**

**And if there are some who don't exactly know what a drabble is, it's basically a very short one shot. Just imagine it as a snippet or specific part from a certain book. It's a short story that is not told in great lengths. It can even be just one paragraph. (Though, the correct definition is "a piece of fiction in exactly 100 words" but these drabbles are not exactly only 100 words each. Just wanted to point that out.)  
**

**Credit goes to Cassandra Clare!**

* * *

_**~ The Ring . The Photographs ~**_

Lia's heart was pounding. In side the chest, there were a few things: photos, a ring, a folded up piece of decaying paper and an envelope with her name on it. She didn't know where to start- well not really. Of course, she took out the ring first.

It was simple, yet delicate and Lia recognized the pattern of flying birds around the band with the letter **_H_** engraved in the middle. It was the Herondale family ring- her family ring. Lia couldn't believe it, her mother told her that it was lost for good. But Lia thought it would be burred with her father, but here it was. She learned that only a few of the same Shadowhunter family rings were passed down generation to generation and now, she had one of them. Carefully, she slipped it on her ring finger and looked at it. She finally had a piece of the father she never met, the father who died before he was ever born, with her. She held her hand to her chest, tears starting to burn in her eyes.

Lia let out a breath. Next was...

A really thin stack of colored photographs was what she took next. There were only three of them and though Lia was a little dissapointed there weren't anymore, she looked through every singe one. The first one was a picture of her, as a baby. Her eyes were close and her cheeks were red. Little baby Lia was wrapped in a soft pink blanket and wore the little mittens that keep the baby from scratching themselves. Lia tried to see if there was anything on the back and flipped it over. In faded black ink and small letters, it read:

_Eliana Linette Herondale ~ Born on 14. Nov. 89_

Lia smiled and set the photo down. She picked up the next one, it was her again, in Silent city, getting her first marks. She didn't even remember her mother taking this, let alone than the fact that her mother was able to do something like taking a picture during such an important ceremony. Half of the photo was blocked by her mother's backside but you can see Lia standing firmly in the middle of the room stretching out her arm and the hands of a Silent Brother holding her arm in place while he drew the runes. To this day, Lia knew that Silent Brother was Brother Zachariah. Out of all the Silent Brothers, she knew Brother Zachariah was different from them, in both looks and -believe it or not- personality. Especially his attitude to Lia, because she's a Herondale. On the back, the black ink was also starting to fade but she was able to make out:

_Eliana Linette Herondale ~ Silent City 14. Nov. 94_

Giggling at her mother's "failed" attempt, Lia picked up the last another photo and her breath caught in her throat. It must have been older than the other two because it was a low quality colored photo, but that's not what Lia was so shocked about. This was a photo of a young adult couple: It was snowing, thus the two wearing Winter clothing. The woman was sitting on what looked like a concrete wall and she was leaning against the man who wrapped his arms around her from behind. His head was slightly leaned in, close to the woman's face. They both had their eyes closed and they had smiles on their faces. Lia made a sniffling noise and she knew she was crying. She was too afraid to see if there was writing on the back but she looked anyway and she's not surprised that there was. The writing was clearly visible, as if it was just written yesterday. After all those years in this tiny chest, it had not faded. Lia also saw that the handwriting was one that was not familiar. She quickly wiped up her tears before reading:

_Amatis + Stephen_

_Here's the photo like a promised. I told you it was a nice shot didn't I?_

_- Michael_

_P.S Still waiting for my new camera Herondale._

_Idris University Christmas Party ~ 25. Dec. 84_

Lia ran her fingers over the picture. Amatis and Stephen, her mother and father. So young and so in love. They looked so perfect together. And in 1984? Five years before Lia was even born. She did the math in her head and cried; Stephen was only twenty-three years old when he died. Lia couldn't imagine the pain Amatis went through. Both were looking forward to being a family, but...

Lia set the picture down and let all her emotions get out of her system. After crying for a good five minutes, she went to the bathroom to clean herself up. She looked back down on the ring on her finger as she leaned against the sink. When she let out a deep breath, she turned off the water and walked back to her mother's bedroom.

* * *

**And that's number two! :3 I know some of you may be confused about one certain thing so I'll say this: I know Stephen married Celine and died before Jace was born. But remember, I wrote this FF based on if Stephen and Amatis had a child BEFORE Jace. And Stephen "died" before Lia was ever born. I don't wanna explain a lot because I don't wanna spoil too much (even though most of you know what basically happened in this case). If you're still confused -which is cool, I understand that my explanation is crappy- then you'll just have to read on! **

**Oh and by the way, that photo of Stephen and Amatis is based on the fanart by Cassandra Jean. If you haven't seen it before, the link is on my profile! After that, you should check out her other drawings, they're really good! And not just Shadowhunter art, she does other fanart based on other Young Adult series so while you wait for the next chapter tomorrow, take a look at them! I'm sure you'll enjoy!**

**Leave your reviews and I'll see you tomorrow!**

**- Aoi**


	3. The Songs

**Number three is really short. Literally just like that -insert snapping noise- and BOOM! Done! Either way, I hope you enjoy!**

**I just own the story idea and the fact that Lia is actually a real TMI character even though she's not... Does that make sense? Everything else is all Cassie's!**

* * *

**_~ The Songs ~_**

Lia sat back on the bed, honestly unsure if she should go on. She flicked her light blue eyes to the chest- only two more undiscovered treasures left. Lia took in a shaky breath and took out the folded paper. It was starting to decay, patches yellow were splattered on the white but it wasn't too bad.

When Lia unfolded it, another piece of paper fell out of it and landed on her thigh. She picked it up and put it down next to the chest.

_I'll read it after this._ She thought.

When Lia took a good look at the first paper she saw that it was her mother's handwriting:

_To Eliana: If you somehow forget._

_Love: Mom_

Lia skimmed over whatever her mother was talking about and giggled. How could she not forget this?

_"Mother," she cried running to the dark bedroom. "MOTHER!"_

_Amatis quickly sat up from her bed and took in the little three year-old in her arms. "What is it Eliana darling?" She asked in a worried voice. "Is everything okay?"  
_

_"I- I had a n-nightmare," Lia sobbed. "D- demons tried to e-eat me a-and n-no one c-came for me!"_

_"No demon will eat you," Amatis said while stroking her daughter's hair. "Mommy will take care of them before they even lay a claw on my baby."_

_Lia tried to laugh but she couldn't, she just continued crying. Amatis kissed her head and laid Lia next to her. "Do you want to sleep with me?"_

_With puffy red eyes, Lia gave off a tiny nod. "C-can you sing m-me that s-song again?" She asked, trying to keep her voice steady._

_Amatis giggled and pulled the sheets over them. "Of course sweet heart."_

_Lia curled up against her mother while she placed her hand against her head and sang in a soft, gentle voice:_

_"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You never know dear how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away."_

Lia smiled as she read the lyrics to the lullaby mother sang to her that very night. And when she did, it was clear as a bell. Lia couldn't help sing it too.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You never know dear how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away. The other night dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms. When I awoke dear, I was mistaken. Please don't take my sunshine away."

With one last look, Lia folded the paper back up and put it down on top of the pictures. She reached for the second paper and opened it. She did not recognize the handwriting but read it anyway:

_Demon pox, oh, demon pox! __Just how is it acquired? __One must go down to the bad part of town u__ntil one is very tired. __Demon Pox, oh, demon pox, __I had it all along— __No, not the pox, you foolish blocks, __I mean this very song— __For I was right, and you were wrong!_

Lia burst out laughing._  
_

* * *

**Didn't I sat it was short? X'D Let's just say this is all just calm before the storm. And yes, the Demon Pox song! Even though Jace didn't learn it, Lia just did. And hey, before you get mad, for Jace, *SPOILER AHEAD* Jem or Tessa could teach him. At least, I hope they do! We're gonna have to wait until CoHF -sob right here- next year. Though honestly, it's not that far. I don't know about you, but the (school) years go by FAST for me. But it depends on the person I guess! :)**

**See you later!**

**- Aoi**


	4. The Letter

**SECOND TO LAST CHAPTER! :D ARE YOU EXCITED? YES? NO? Ah, never mind! Happy reading!**

**Cassandra Clare does more heartbreaking than I do so bow down to her, not me.**

* * *

**_~ The Letter ~_**

Lia did her best to catch her breath. Her stomach and lungs ached from laughing so hard. Eventually, she did manage to relax. She owed it to that Demon Pox song. It helped recharge herself. Now that she remembered, her mother did say one time there was this one song her father knew that is usually passed down, but she couldn't remember how it went. Lia now knew she lied that time.

Finally, the last thing, the letter. A letter that's most likely from her mother, judging by the way her name was written on the envelope. She took it out of the chest and held it in her hands. It was rather thick, so there's probably more than one piece of paper inside. On the back, it had a blue wax seal of the Herondale family symbol. Carefully, Lia opened the letter.

It took her mother three sheets of paper to say what she needed to say. Lia's heart raced. She fixed her position and sat cross legged on the bed with a pillow on her lap, her arms pressed against it.

_To my Daughter,_

_At the time I am writing this, you are currently four years old and taking your daily nap. I'm not sure if you will ever read this letter. Maybe you will in a few years, maybe when you are a mother yourself, maybe not at all. __But if you are reading this now, I might be alive, I might be dead. What ever the circumstances may be, you need to know the truth- I might have told you some things, but not all of it._

_Eliana Linette is what I named you. I was honestly debating whether to have your first name 'Eliana' or 'Linette'. But of course, I had to decide eventually. Linette -I've decided- is your middle name and also the name of one of your early ancestors. I discovered that while looking at your father's family tree. I have chosen Eliana as your first name. Did you ever know that your name means 'Daughter of the sun'? You might think that sounds a little silly, but as you read on, you will understand._

_Eliana, through out your life, you have grown up without your father. When you were old enough to understand and talk, I have told you he is dead. That fact is sadly true. However the fact that I have told you that he has died before you were born, was a lie. Your father, Stephen Herondale, was alive the first two years after you were born, only, he was no longer your father._

Lia swallowed. Stephen was _alive_ when she was born? He wasn't dead? She shook her head and kept reading.

_When I found out I was having you, I was so overjoyed. I did plan on telling your father that night, however he told me he had to divorce. __Valentine had force Stephen to leave me and marry Celine. __In the end, I couldn't bring myself to tell him I was pregnant with you and I still regret it to this day. I wonder if he's angry with me from up there. _After what happened, I ran away- hoping I would not be discovered. I went to live with a with a distant relative until you were born. When I first held you, I was really surprised on how much you looked so much like your father. Though as you grew older, it seemed like you had both of our appearances.

_ Before you turned two years old, Celine was pregnant with her first child, a boy, your half-brother. But then, before he was born, Stephen was killed. Celine was eight months pregnant when Stephen died, and thus, she ended up killing herself afterwards. I found out about both of their deaths the day after. As for your brother, it is most likely he is dead too._

_Your father's death changed something in me. I was about to give up everything, but then I remembered you. The only reason I had to keep moving on was because of you, my child. Before Stephen left me- left us, he gave us this house that we currently live in and I started to raise you in secret. No one, not even Lucian, knew about you except for the family I lived with __temporarily and Jocelyn. You might remember her right?_

_Despite everything that has happened, I still love Stephen. I always will. There is not one day that I won't stop missing him nor loving him. He was the light of my life. Hence your name. Take a look on your right shoulder Eliana. _

Was she talking about her birthmark? Lia did what her mother instructed her to do. She pushed her shoulder sleeve back and took a look. You can clearly see a pale white star just bellow the collar bone. Mother always told Lia it was just a really unique birthmark but now, it seemed to be more than that.

_That birthmark you have is the same as your father. Every Herondale decedent has it on their shoulder. They say that one of our earliest Herondale ancestors was visited by an angel in his dreams and woke up with that mark. It's a sign that you've been blessed._

Lia flipped to the last page and ran a finger under her eye lid, catching the tear before it fell.

_...I don't know what the future will bring you my Eliana, but you must not let what you have just read affect it. You might have lived years without knowing and you have no one to blame but me. Please understand what I did was to protect you. I couldn't let you go out to play, I couldn't let you attend school, I couldn't let the world know you ever existed. I know you diverse an apology, but I don't see the point of doing so._

_- Amatis_

Lia didn't know how long she sat there looking at her mother's written words. At some point though, she looked up and saw that it was already late afternoon. Without thinking, Lia put everything back in the chest -the letter, songs, pictures and even the ring- closed it and went to go get dressed._  
_

* * *

**One last chapter~! Might come a little late though!**

**See you tomorrow!**

**- Aoi**


	5. My Only Sunshine

**FINAL CHAPTER! I hope you all enjoy!**

**I doubt this will make you cry harder than when Cassie made you cry in Clockwork Princess. In fact, I don't think it will make you cry at all.**

* * *

**_~ My Only Sunshine ~_**

After she got dressed, Lia went back into her mother's room and held her chest in her arms, stroking her engraved initials, taking it all in. She put it back down on the bed then left the house. A rush of cold air slammed into Lia as soon as she stepped out of the house. She wrapped her long white knitted scarf around her and slipped on the soft mittens that was also the same white color. In fact, Lia's entire outfit was white: white pi-coat, skirt, leggings and boots.

_I think I went a little overboard... _She thought, but she dug out whatever she could find and ended up as a walking snowman.

She walked through the quite streets of Alicante, the small layer of snow crunching beneath her feet, and exited through the gates. For safety purposes, she brought along a Seraph Blade and her stele, but Lia hoped she wouldn't run into any demons, not today, not now.

By the time she got to the Cemetery, the sun was starting to set. To some people, the graveyard is a maze, but to Lia, it was a simple straight line. She passed by a few tomb stones, snow covered most of them, making some birth years and death years unreadable:

_Imogen Whitelaw_

_1946 ~ 2007_

_Michael Wayland_

_. . . . ~ . . . ._

_Hodge Starkweather_

_. . . . ~ 2007_

_Valentine Morgenstern_

_. . . . ~ 2007_

_Maxwell Joseph Lightwood_

_1998 ~ 2007_

And then finally, she reached it, three graves and the end of the yard. At first, Lia thought that they didn't deserve to be all the way down here, but then again, she thought that it was nice for them to have a spot all to themselves.

She walked passed one of them and then stopped in the middle between the three:

_Celine Herondale_

_1971 ~ 1991_

_Stephen William Herondale_

_1966 ~ 1991_

_Amatis Herondale_

_1967 ~ 2007_

Lia knelt down in front of Stephen's grave, strands of her dirty blonde hair fell in front of her sapphire blue eyes. She tucked it behind her ear, but the chilly breeze made her decide that it's better on the side of her face.

"He's doing fine you know," was the first thing she said. "Jace I mean." She flicked her eyes at Celine's grave and smiled before looking back at her father. "It's only a matter of time before him and Clary get married. After a big debate, they decided to have a traditional Shadowhunter wedding instead of a mundane wedding. In fact it'll be here in Idris. You'll be there, right?"

Even though she wanted to talk to him more, Lia mostly came here for something else. She moved to her left and sat in front of her mother's grave stone.

"I'm not mad, I understand. I get that you've had to hide it for so long but..."

_Lia searched the crowed of people through the big hall. Her heart was pounding, she was completely exhausted, and she tried her best not to cry out in pain from the wounds and bruises on her body. Eventually, she spotted a very familiar face and ran to it._

_"Is she okay?" She called out.  
_

_Luke turned to see the eighteen year old running towards him, his eyes wide. "You're..."_

_"Yes, I know who I am, and I know who you are! What happened Lucian? Where is she? Where is my mom? Is she alright?"_

_The werewolf drew in a breath and stiffened. He closed his eyes and looked away, hoping that Lia wouldn't see the pain on his face, but she did._

_"ANSWER ME!" She shrieked, tears forming in her eyes. _

_Just then, a red-haired women in Shadowhunter gear walked up to Luke and placed a hand on his shoulder with a sad face. He still didn't change his expression when he looked at her._

_Lia whispered, "Jocelyn... She's not... Is she..?"_

_Hearing her voice, Clary's mother looked at Lia and slowly shook her head._

Lia thought that little tear crystals would form if she didn't wipe them with her sleeve. "...Was it ever hard to look at me every day? Knowing that I was his? Was it hard taking care of me? Was it hard to train me? Was it hard to love me?"

She didn't want to do this. Lia knew it was too late to speak up but she couldn't help it, she just sat there and cried. "I- I'm sorry," she choked. "Mommy, I'm so sorry!"

But what _exactly_ was she sorry for? What was she _really_ crying about?

The night was nearly starting to wake when Lia settled her emotions. She was freezing cold. She tried to stand but she couldn't. It's like her legs were frozen on the spot. Her lip trembled and was about to start crying again-

Lia gasped when she suddenly felt a warm air surround her, hugging her entire body. But it was Winter, how could...?

A soft, gentle voice rang through Lia's ears. She didn't know it was even possible but she heard it. It was quiet, faint, yet oh so familiar.

_"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away."_

The voice died out and it was cold again.

Lia stood.

* * *

**I think I could have done a better job at the ending... BUT that's it! I'm sure you all figured out that was Amatis in the end right? :D**

**What did you all think? It was really fun writing this story! Even though I had a feeling it wouldn't be popular it was still exciting to write!**

**Thank you all so much for reading! Shadowhunters for life! :)**

**Until Next Time,**

**Aoi**


End file.
